howard



F. E. HOWARD.

rFITTING FOR MEALLIC DOORS. APPLlcATloN FILED 1uLY25. |9|4. nENEwED luLY Q. |919.

l ,3 1 6,897 Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

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jizz/6725071' UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

FRANK E. HOWARD, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T0 J/AMES L. HOWARD & COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT. l

FITTING ron 'METALLIC Doors.

Specification of `Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 23, 1919.

Application filed J'uly 25, 1914, Serial No. 853,120. Renewed July 19, v1919. Serial No; 812,105.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. HowARD, a citizen of the United States, residmg at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have in vented new and useful Improvements in Fittlngs for Metallic Doors, of which the followlng 1 s a specification.

This invention relates to improvements 1n the construction of fittings for hollow metallic doors, windows, and similar structural elements, whereby the fittings are better adapted to be' accurately located and firmly secured to the doors or other structures with a minimum of cutting away or mutilatlon of the hollow shell, in which the strength of such structures wholly or mainly resides. The improvements involve also 1 the remforcement of the door adjacent to and 1n connection with the fittings, so as to compensate for whatever cutting of the door shell may be necessary; and to strengthen and otherwise adaptV the door for receivin l,the blows and other strains to which the ttings and the adjacent portions of the door are subjected when in use.

Figure 1 of the drawlngs is asectlonal plan view, Fig. 2 1s an edge View 1n section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, andFi 3 is a front view projected from Fig. 1, o an approved embodiment of my invention. Figs. 4 'and 5 are fragmentary plan views 1n enlarged scale, showing detalls of construction and arrangement. These are sectional views, being shown in section taken on the lines lr-l and 5-5, respectively, of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view showing a modified arrangement. Fig. 7 is an end ele'- vation in sectlon taken substantially like that of Fig. 2, but showing a modified form of support. Fig. 8 is a lan View, in enlarged scale, in section ta en on the line 8 of Fig. 7.

. The embodiment of my invention herein selected for illustration is shown in conjunction with a hollow sheet metal door of a form now coming into common use for railway coaches and other structures intended to be light, strong and fireproof, These doors are usually constructed of sheet metal bent into the form of hollow box-like rails and stiles, generally joined by 'glass or sheet metal Ipanels.

For the sake of com actness, as well as for convenience, it is deslrable to place the fitdesirable to have the Working fittings removable from the door, so that they may be removed and replaced at any time for examination, repalrs, and renewal. It is desirable, especially lin the case of articulated fittings. to locate the fittings and their supporting frames or casings, not only in exact position relative to the edge or corner of .the door, but also to locate them in exact relation to each other, to insure completeness and freedom of action. In the case of some articulated fittings it is important to locatev the center of swinging movement of the fitting as in the case of a hinge, or in the case of the latch illustrated herein, as close ias possible to an edge or a corner of the door, and to do this without unduly cutting away the door shell `adjacent to the edge or corner, it being obvious that these corner angles are the strongest and stifiest portions of the shell, and should therefore as far as possible be left intact.

The fitting selected for illustration herein is a door latch adapted for the latching of swinging doors. In a latch of this character, 1t 1s desirable to have av fairly long radius of swinging movement, and also-to locate the pivot or center of Swingin movement reasonably close to the edge of t e door,

so that the latch when in its closed position v within the door shell, and as nearly as isl feasible or convenient to the corner of the door opposite to the side from which the latch itself extends. The latch pivot or pintle 6 is supported by posts or standards which are appurtenant to the casing 8,

though not essential to this invention are herein illustrated as consisting ofa connecting rod 13 pivoted by one end at 14 to the latch 5 and Vforked at the other end as shown in Fig. 3, so as to pass on opposite sides of the knob spindle 15 operated l by knobs 16 or any suitable handles or A tumbler 17 carried by the latch spindle engages behind the ends 18 of the bifurcated connecting rod 13 and moves that rod backward and thereby retracts the latch whenever the knobs are turned in"either direction, the movement of the knobs and rod being opposed by a suitable spring 19,

which tends to move the parts to their latching position, and also servesto returnthe door kndbs lto their. central resting position. A dead bolt 20, operated by a key through the key hole 21 in any wellknown way, may

' be employedl in the caslng 8.

The opening 10 in the door shell for the 'entrance of the latch and' its supporting standards is made a suitable distance away from the edge of the door, to leave a'substantial portion of the corner angle of the door intact, as best shown at 25 1n F1g. 5, and 26 in Fig. 7 thus leavlng these corner angles much stiiier than the wouldI be 1f the ange portions deslgnate by 25 and 26 were to be cut away closerto the corners of the respective doors.'

In order to carry th(J latch pivot as far as possible toward the edge of the door, the latches and their supporting standards are oiisetbehind these uncut corneyr. flanges25 and '26. The opening 10 is qnade wlde ,enough to admit the widest part l'of the offset latch and standard, and after being adymitted through the opening the offset portions are moved toward the edge of the door by sliding the latch casing 8 in that direction until thelatch and its standard are brought approximately against the r1ght hand edges of the corner flanges 25 and 26 of the door shell, as best shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In

this way, the latch is supported in its best working position close to the edge of the door wit corner angles of the door shell. In the forms herein shown no openings at all are required to be made in the edge of the door,

and only a few small openings are required in the sides ofthe door. v

-The latch 5l and its casln 8 after being` thus slid forward toward t e edge of the door to carry the oi'set portion of the latch` behind the uncut corner angle as above described are maintained in this position by means of dowel posts 27 extending from out injuriously .weakening the a side plate or escutcleon or other supple' mental fitting 29 situated upon Athe opposite j side of the door shell. These dowel posts extend entirely through the door shell and the support, and enter seats 30 provided inthe inner surface of the latch casing 8. These a dowel posts are also preferably drilled and tapped to recelve holding screws 31 by means of-which the latch casing 8 and the supplemental side plate 27 or other fitting are clamped together on opposite sides of the door shell, thus holding the casing and fittin s rmly in the exact positions determine for them.

To enable the latches or other fittings to be accurately located and securely fastened to the doors, special supports fc' the fittings are Suitable jigs and templets may be employed for making the door ttings and the supports -to fit each other accurately, and also for locating the supports accurately in proper position within the door shell, so that the door fittings when applied to the completed door will go easily into their proper places and be-.secured there in proper working relation t0 the door and to each other. The form and size of these supports for the fittings should be adapted to their respective purposes, two or'three of these adaptations being illustrated herein.

The supports shown inFigs. 1 to 5 inelusive will probably be found most generally satisfactory in all cases where the door shells are made with suiiicient accuracy to allow the use of this form of support. The plate portion'of this support is made of a single piece of sheet metal bent into the form of a deep channel. The side wings 35 and 36 of this channel form are riveted on the shouldered ends of the sleeves 37, which with the -bottom portion 38 of the channel serve as braces between the two wings to brace them and the sidesof the door shell apart the desired distance. 'The holes through the sleeves 37 serve as seats for re- .ceiving the dowel posts 27, willich project of one or both of the plates may be bent inwardly to form an angular reinforcementl for the front corner or corners of the door shell, as illustrated yby the angular bend 43 of the plate 42 in Fig. 6. A urther modification shown in this view vis that of the latch supporting posts or standards 44 which are made to fit approximately into the angle or corner at the edge of the door formed by the plates 42 and 43, thus still further reinforclng the door shell at and adjacent to that corner. The plates 41 and 42 may be provided with connecting shouldered sleeves 45 which ma receive dowel posts 46, as in the previous gures. p v

The sleeves when located as herein shown,

a considerable distance away from the edge of the door, may be used even when there is some variation in the thickness of the door, at its edge, due to variations in bending the door shell atv thecorners. Hence these sleeves may be employed in some instances where the variations in the thickness of the door at its edge would not permit the use of a continuous or connected reinforcing plate like that shown in Fig. 5.

According to present methods it is found difficult in practice to bend the sheet metalV into the form of a door stile with sufficient accuracy to permit the use of what may be termed a solid or infiexible support, 'of a thickness like those illustrated in Figs. 1 For these conditions the be found more convenient and su ciently firm and stable for most practical purposes. In this modification the support is made of separate plates, each bent into a channel form, of a depth suitable for their various intended purposes and places. The wings or side flanges 51 of these channel shaped supports are welded, riveted, or otherwise' secured to the inner sides of the door shell 52, utilizing the connecting member or bottom 53 of the channel form as the bracing members between the two sides of the door shell. These channel forms may also be provided with shouldered, sleeves like those shown in the preceding figures, but they are preferably omitted, in which case the variationswhich may occur in the distance between the opposite side plates of the door shell 52 may be met by sultable shaping or reshaping of the bottom members 53 of the channels, curving them more or less, as

4shown by dot and dash lines in Fig. 7

to shorten or lengthen them. When placed fairly close to the dowel posts 55 'as shown in Fig. 7 they offer a fairly direct resistance ,to the clamping action of the holding screws 56 while at the same time bracing directly between those opposite portions of the door shell against which the latch casing 57 and the side plate 58 abut.

According to the present usual practice these hollow doors and the locks or other door fittings are made by different manufacturers. Such reinforcements as are used 7 will' for supporting the fittings are generally not supplie by the manufacturer of the fittings but are built into the door during the process times into the reinforcements. Thus the work and responsibilityof fitting and ad' justing the locks or other fittings to the door falls upon the ldoor manufacturer, whereas this work more properly comes within the province of the lock or fittings maker. This invention makes it possible for the door fittings .and the supports or reinforcements to be made and adapted to each other by the fittings manufacturer, and are by him furnished to the door maker, who applies them in suitable position relative to the edge or corners of the door by the use of suitable setting apparatus. To facilitate this setting, and to allow for variations in the doors, which by present methods of manufacture seem unavoidable, the apertures in the door shell are made somewhat larger than the corresponding apertures in the reinforcements, as shown at 39 in Fig. 4 and at 60 in Fig. 8. This arrangement enables the door manufacturer to drill or punch these holes in the door shell while the'metal is flat, before bending it into box form. The oversize of the holes allows for the variations incident to the punching or drilling and bending operations upon the door shell, andthe locks or other fittings may be applied to their seats in the supports with the certainty of setting them exactly and uniformly into their proper positions relative to the door and to each other.

The term"removable as herein employed refers to constructions in which the parts thus designated 'may be bodily removed from the door without separating them from each other or otherwise disturbing their coperative relation.

Although this invention is herein illustrated as applied to sheet metalpdoors and other structures which are hollow at the portions shown, it will be obvious that the invention is not in its nature limited by the kindof ma-terialsof which those structures are made, orlimited to the extent or degree of their hollowness, and some of the features `of the invention are equally applicable to solid structures.

I claim as my invention:-

1. A reinforcement for hollow shell structures consisting of sheet metal bent into channel form, the fianges of which are braced by shouldered tubular studs disposed between the flanges, the reduced ends of the 'studs above the shoulders being extended in the shell.

3.' The combination with a hollow shell door provided with openings for admitting door fittings, a support secured to the inner wall of the door shell and having receiving seats corresponding with but smaller than the openings in the door shell,.and removable door fittings provided with posts extending into said seats, through and clear ing the larger openings in the'door shell.

4.' The combination, with a hollow shell i door, of an openingl in the shell, a removable door fitting having an articulated por: tion projecting through the opening and offset within the door shell behind the margin of said opening, and means for reinforcing the interior side of the shell adjacent t0 said opening, and also supportingsaid door fittings.

" 5. The combination, with a hollow shell` door, an opening in the shell,.a removable door fitting having a base member secured against the outer side of the door shell, and an articulated member, both of said members extending into said opening, and being offset within the shell at one side of the projected' area of the said opening, and arein-.s

forcement within the shell, adjacent lto said opening in which the door `fitting isl supported. j v

` 6. The combination, with a hollow shell door, of an opening in the shell, a removable door ftting having a base secured against the outer side of the door shell, and a'projecting portion extending within the door through the opening and offset at onev side of .said opening, an articulated member pivotally supported by said offset portion,'and

also extending through said opening, and reinforcing means within the shell, adjacent to said opening for receiving and supportingsaid door fitting. j

7. The combination, 'with a hollowshell door, of an opening in the shell, a removable door fitting having` a base member secured against the outer side of the shell, with a portion projecting within the door through j the opening and offset behind the lmargin of said opening, means within the door` shell forpositioning the door fitting and reinforcing the interior' margin of said opening, andan articulated-member'also extending through said opening Aand pivotally sup- 9.4 The combination with a hollow shelll door having an opening through. the shell a substantial distance away from a corner of the door, to leave the corner flanges in tact, and a removable door lfitting secured against the outer side of the shell and projecting through the said opening adjacent4 to an edge of said opening, with a portion of the fitting offset toward the interior angle of the door behind the margin of said edge.

10 The combination ofa hollow shell door having an opening through the shell a sub- `lstantial distance from a corner portion'of the door, leaving the corner'flanges. intact,

and a door fitting, secured against the outer f side of the door shell adjacent to an edge of the said opening, and offset behind the edg'e into the interior angle of said corner, and-having an articulated member pivotally attached to the offset portion of the door fitting within the door shell, and lextending out 4.of the shell through the said'opening.

1,1." I`he combination with a hollow shell door having an openingin its shell near the edge of the door, leaving the corner flanges ofthe idoor shell intact, a door fitting comprising an articulated member and a su port therefor both extending through said opening adjacent to an edge thereof, and

"offset within the door shell toward the edge of the door, and behind the margin of the opening, and dowel posts extending through the door to retain the fitting in its offset position. f

12. The combination with a hollow shell door lhaving an opening throughthe shell adjacent to but away from an edge of the door leaving thecorner flanges ofthe door shell intact, of a door fitting secured against an outer side of the door shell with amember projecting through the said opening, and offset within the shell toward the said edge 4ofthe door, and a supplemental fitting secured against another side of the door shell with a dowel extending through the door into\ the first named door fitting.

13. The combination with a hollow shell door, having an opening through the shell on one side of the door a substantialdis tance away from the edge of the door, to

v door having an opening through the shell on one side of the door a substantial distance away from a corner of the door to leave the corner flanges intact, of a door fitting Secured against the outer side of the door with a portion projecting through said opening and offset toward the edge of the door, a latch pivoted to said offset portion, and a supplemental fitting secured against the opposite side of the door shell and having dowel posts projecting through the door into the first named fitting to dowel the latter in its offset working position.

15. The combination with a hollow shell door having an opening through the shell on one side of the door` a substantial distance away from a corner of the door to leave the corner flanges intact, of a door fitting se? cured against the outer side of the door with a portion projecting through said openin and-offset toward the edge of, the door, an a supplemental fitting secured against,v the opposlte side of the door shell and having dowel' posts projecting through the door into the first named fitting, to dowel the latter in its offset working position, and means for fastening the two fittings together.

16. The combination with a hollow shell door having an opening through the shell on one side of the door a substantial distance away from a corner of the door to leave the cornerflanges of the shell intact, of a door fitting secured against the outer side of the door with a portlon projecting through said V opening and offset' toward the interior angle of the corner, a supplemental fitting secured against the opposite side of the door shell and having dowel posts projecting through the door into the first named fitting to dowel the latter in its offset position, and means for securing the first named fitting to the said dowel posts to clamp the two fittings toward each other on opposite sides of the door.

17. The combination with a door having an opening in the side face of the door a substantial distance from the edge face of the door, a removable door fitting secured against the side face of the door, and having a projection extending intol said opening, and a member pivoted within the door upon the said projection, and extending out of the door from the said opening.

18. The combination with a door having an opening in the side face of the door a substantial distance from the edge face of the door, a latch support secured to the outer side face of the door and having a projection extending into said opening, and a latch member pivoted within the door upon the said projection and extending out of the door from the said opening.

19. 'The combination with a door, of separable door fittings disposed on opposite sides of the door, and a post integral with' and extending from one of said fittings entirely `through the door into the other fitting and doweling the said fittings together.

In testimony whereof I have signed my,

name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 23rd day of July, 1914.

FRANK E. HOWARD.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM H. HoNIss, CAROLINE M. Banoxm. 

